California Regional Environmental
Education Community

California Department of Education,
STEM Office


Region 8 CREEC Network
November 2015 



STEM and the Environment  
 
 

As a recent article in the Guardian pointed out, "while surveys show that the great majority would like to see the living planet protected, few are prepared to take action. This reflects a second environmental crisis: the removal of children from the natural world. The young people we might expect to lead the defense of nature have less and less to do with it." 

Though we increasingly see this problem across nations, we do have the resources here and now to solve it. And CREEC is here to connect you to them.

STEM-based (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics) environmental education is an amazing path to the outdoors, where students can hone data collection and analysis skills, master new tools and technology, and engineer solutions to environmental challenges. We need kids that are connected both the nature and to technology.

I attended  2015 California STEM Symposium held October 29 and 30 and found so many resources for building a STEM bridge from the classroom into nature. The California STEM Symposium brought together thousands of teachers, administrators, students, higher education representatives, program providers, philanthropic representatives and industry representatives to engage them in STEM education by providing strategies and resources for program implementation. More to come after the New Year!

Browse through the program to get a sense of all the amazing STEM resources and scroll down below to find even more in this issue of the newsletter.

- Teresa "Tree" Lees, CREEC Coordinator, Region 8
  teresa@creec.org 
STEM and EE Resource Highlights

Learning Lab from USGBC

Learning Lab, created by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, offers K-12 educators sustainability education content for the classroom. The demand for K-12 curriculum that supports sustainability and environmental education is rising as learners and leaders increasingly seek content that supports STEM, uses students' local environments as a context for learning, fosters systems thinking and student engagement, and is mapped to curriculum standards.
Read more about Learning Lab here:   (PDF OR Opens in a new window or tab)
Link to BAESI here:

Bay Area E-STEM Institute: An Environmental STEM Education Resource Hub for Teachers

Even though this says Bay Area, this is very useful no matter where you teach. With funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, Chevron, Intel and others, the BAESI is wonderful collection of education resources on climate change, sustainability and the planet's geospheres. . . .   
(PDF OR Opens in a new window or tab)

Looking to Integrate Engineering into your Elementary Classroom? Then take a look at EiE

We're very pleased to announce that EIE is investing in a new opportunity for elementary educators who want to integrate engineering into their classroom instruction: the first-ever EiE Scholarships Applications are being accepted now through Dec. 16, 2015 for the first round of awards; we'll announce the recipients in late January 2016. Look for an EiE training to be held here at SLOCOE in March 2016.  . . .   
(PDF OR Opens in a new window or tab)

Upcoming EEI Webinar: Using EEI for Project-Based Learning

Join a webinar where Jim Bentley, National Faculty for the Buck Institute for Education and EEI Teacher Ambassador, will highlight how his classroom integrates math, science, inquiry, reading and writing with EEI's curriculum. . .   
(PDF OR Opens in a new window or tab)

PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES

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Sources for teachers and providers

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Disclaimer: These professional learning opportunities and resources are intended merely to provide access to information. The California Department of Education (CDE) has not reviewed these opportunities or resources for effectiveness or alignment with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). CDE does not warrant or guarantee the effectiveness or results of any opportunity or resource that may be made available through this communication network. The inclusion of an opportunity or resource is neither an endorsement nor recommendation by CDE. Please excuse formatting errors that may result from the software application used to distribute this newsletter.
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The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network is an educational project supported by the California Department of Education in collaboration with state, regional and local partners. Its expansive communication network provides educators with access to high-quality educational resources to enhance the environmental literacy of California Students.
In Region 5, CREEC is housed and supported by San Luis Obispo County Office of Education
Teresa "Tree" Lees, Region 8 CREEC Coordinator, teresa@creec.org  805-782-7265

Shannon Gordon, Statewide CREEC Coordinator, sgordon@cde.ca.gov
STEM Office, California Dept. of Education, 1430 N Street, Suite 4309, Sacramento, CA 95814
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